Painter Sisters: Family Farms and Disrupting the Yogurt Industry
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Guy Kawasaki interviews Hayley and Stephanie Painter, the owners of Painterland Farms, who have transformed their family's legacy farm into a thriving venture. In their first year of business, they are projected to surpass $3,500,000 in revenue and have raised $825,000 through a campaign. The sisters aim to bridge the gap between consumers and American farmers, promoting sustainable agriculture and real dairy in our diet. They emphasize the importance of being connected to the source of our food and the American farmer. Their organic skier yogurt serves as a conduit to open up conversations about these crucial topics. The sisters' passion for their farm and sustainable agriculture is evident in their dedication to sharing their story and promoting awareness. Their commitment to the community and the environment is showcased through their participation in events like the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of their story in connecting with customers and advocating for agriculture. Both sisters were encouraged to pursue higher education and were the first in their family to graduate from college, with the intention of returning to the farm to contribute to its growth. Their competitive nature, honed on the farm and the basketball court, has translated into their business approach, which they describe as 'organized chaos.' This strategy involves being adaptable and ready to pivot when necessary, a mindset that has been beneficial in their entrepreneurial journey. Painterland, located in a rural area of northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York, has a diverse range of animals including cows, sheep, pigs, and goats. The sisters emphasize the importance of connecting with the land, animals, and community, and express their mission to sustain the farming lifestyle. They also highlight the challenges faced by some farmers in the country. The daily routine on their family farm involves early starts for milking cows and feeding calves, with a focus on maintaining healthy animals for high-quality milk production. The yogurt production process involves timely milk collection, refrigeration, testing for contaminants, addition of cultures, pasteurization, yogurt culturing, ultrafiltration, and packaging. The sisters take pride in not adding protein powders to their yogurt, aiming for a pure and natural product. They express their commitment to distributing their yogurt to various distributors across the United States, including rural areas. The unique qualities of their yogurt and the marketing challenges they face are discussed, with an emphasis on sustainable packaging and their efforts to grow hemp on their family farm to make their own cups for the yogurt. They express a desire to find the most sustainable container possible and are currently using recycled plastic with a paper label, which reduces the amount of plastic needed. The challenges and successes of distributing their yogurt are shared, highlighting their commitment to education about the farm and sustainable products. The sisters emphasize the importance of providing an experience through their yogurt, aiming to educate people on agriculture. They also share experiences of being underestimated and mistaken for receptionists in their business pitches, highlighting the challenges they have faced as female entrepreneurs. The origin of their brand name, 'Painterland Sisters,' is discussed, emphasizing its positivity and family-based nature. They pitch their yogurt as a certified woman-owned, mother-owned, and farmer-owned product, highlighting its 6% milk fat, high protein, and probiotic content. Guy Kawasaki expresses gratitude to the Painter Sisters and the Remarkable People team, acknowledging their contributions to the podcast and promoting the publication of a book titled 'Thank Remarkable, Learn Please 2 Transform Your Life and Make a Difference,' coauthored by Madison and himself.
Guy Kawasaki interviews Hayley and Stephanie Painter, the owners of Painterland Farms, who have tran